Best Husqvarna Hedge Trimmers

The Ultimate Woody Weed Hacker: Pros: * High-torque reduction gearbox doesn't stall under heavy load Cleaves massive, woody branches easily… Read more

(30.5mm opening)

Incredible runtime and balance on the smaller 4.0Ah promo batteries

Cons: * The skin isn't cheap (but worth it for the time saved)

If you're dealing with thick, neglected Aussie natives, this is the tool. The 522iHDR60 runs a high-torque reduction gearbox and coarse-cut blades with a massive 30.5mm tooth opening. I was genuinely surprised at the sheer thickness of the branches this thing will cleave straight through—stuff you'd normally reach for the loppers to clear—instead of just chewing the bark and stalling out like standard residential gear.

The biggest surprise is the runtime on the smaller cells. I snagged the promo 4.0Ah battery (the 40-B140) with the skin, and it punches way above its weight. I was expecting to need my heavy-duty BLi300s to get through a decent stretch of hedging, but the promo battery just keeps going.

Using the lighter battery drops the rear weight significantly, which perfectly balances the tool and saves your shoulders when you're doing long vertical sweeps. Put down the 2-stroke and grab this.